Boy Swims 2.5 Miles to Rescue Family From Sea 🌊

A 13-year-old boy is credited with saving the lives of his mother and two younger siblings after swimming for hours to get help when their family was swept out to sea off the coast of Western Australia.

Hourslong Swim to Safety

Austin Appelbee swam 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) to shore to raise the alarm after he and his family – his mother Joanne Appelbee, 47, brother Beau, 12, and sister Grace, 8 – encountered difficulties on Friday, police said.

Naturaliste Marine Rescue commander Paul Bresland described Austin’s efforts as “superhuman,” noting the boy initially swam with a life jacket for two hours before discarding it to improve his speed and swimming the remaining distance without assistance.

Austin said he initially attempted to reach shore on an inflatable kayak, but it began taking on water. He then removed his life jacket, finding it hindered his swimming.

He recounted focusing on positive thoughts during the approximately four-hour swim through rough seas, raising the alarm at 6 p.m. “The waves are massive and I have no life jacket on. … I just kept thinking ‘just keep swimming, just keep swimming,'” Austin said. “And then I finally I made it to shore and I hit the bottom of the beach and I just collapsed.”

Austin stated he didn’t consider himself a hero, saying, “I just did what I did.”

The family, from Perth, was on vacation and using hired kayaks and paddle boards when changing ocean and wind conditions caused them to drift out to sea.

A search helicopter located the mother and children wearing life jackets and clinging to a paddleboard at 8:30 p.m. They had drifted 14 kilometers (9 miles) from Quindalup and had been in the water for up to 10 hours.

Police Inspector James Bradley praised Austin’s “determination and courage,” stating his actions ultimately saved the lives of his mother and siblings.

Joanne Appelbee explained she sent her oldest child for help because she could not leave the other children. She expressed confidence in his ability to reach shore but grew anxious as the sun set and help hadn’t arrived.

Bresland noted the mother managed to keep the other children together with the paddleboard while they were treading water for hours in rough seas.

By the time they were rescued, all three family members were shivering, and Beau had lost sensation in his legs due to the cold. “I have three babies. All three made it. That was all that mattered,” Joanne Appelbee said.

All four family members were medically assessed but did not require hospitalization.

Naturaliste Volunteer Marine Rescue Group praised the family’s bravery, particularly Austin’s, in a social media post, calling their courage “extraordinary.”